Kaizen understood the weight of what the arrival of players meant for this world.
Their presence would change everything. His knowledge of the future would lose value with each passing day.
Then again, he thought, I'm no historian. My understanding of this era is limited, and I've landed decades before the time I was actually alive. There's not much for me to take advantage of anyway.
What he could use were the truly major events he remembered, those so monumental that small changes, whether from his transmigration or the interference of players, wouldn't easily alter them.
At least for now. He suspected that as time went on, even those fixed points might shift into something unrecognizable.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Fifth prince, you haven't yet notified us about the resources you need."
Ahh, right.
Immediately, Kaizen gave him a list. He didn't make any exorbitant demands, mindful of the Fourth Prince's situation.
Despite the late hour, the requested materials were delivered within minutes.
Thankfully they had it here.
Kaizen thought, gazing at the book in his hand.
It held introductory information to the class he desired.
Artifact Refining.
He knew just how much potential this class held when it was truly at its peak.
Sure, each class had its own advantage, but Kaizen had considered another factor.
His own Cultivator class.
When superimposed with his first class, Artifact Refining offered synergy far beyond the other classes, therefore he resolutely chose it.
Without wasting any time, he opened the book and began reading.
What Kaizen hadn't expected, though, was a system prompt flashing in his mind.
[Proficiency in Artifact Refining +1]
[Artifact Refiner (Tier one): 1/100]
[Spend Insight Points to speed up progress?]
What are Insight Points? How do I get them?
[Insight Points can be used to accelerate the understanding of skills, and class knowledge required for each tier upgrade.]
[There are numerous ways to obtain them, including but not limited to completing certain quests, maxing out a skill without the use of Insight Points, and specific class exclusive achievements.]
So magical? How many do I have currently?
[Zero, genius. That's why I didn't display it.]
Then why ask if I wanted to use it?
[To remind you of your poverty. Get to work, poor man.]
At that moment, Kaizen wished nothing more than to remove the system from his head and give it a thorough beating.
Calming himself down, he returned his focus to the book.
The night passed in silence, broken only by the faint rustle of pages. Kaizen consumed every line, cross-referencing diagrams and formulae with utmost seriousness.
As the first shining rays of daylight pierced through the night sky, illuminating the city, a system prompt appeared before him.
[Artifact Refiner (Tier one): 100/100]
[Receive this class?]
[Yes/No]
Of course a yes, stupid system. Why would I stay up all night just to not receive that class?
[...]
[That was a necessary prompt coded into me, not a reflection of my intelligence, unlike a certain someone.]
[Activating Artifact Refining Class.]
[Profile updating…]
Immediately, Kaizen felt a wave of energy rushing through his veins in a particular order.
All five domains used the same energy, Qi.
The distinction lay in how one circulated it. Each domain's path was unique; forcing a different flow would cripple, even kill, the practitioner.
To his rather subdued astonishment due to already expecting the outcome, Kaizen discovered that the energy was flowing smoothly without any backlash.
[Update complete.]
Kaizen checked his profile once again. This time exploring each tab in detail.
//Basic Information//
[Name: Kaizen Aeonhart]
[Race: Human]
[Titles: None]
[Bloodline: Low-Tier Time Path - Time Affinity +5]
//Class//
[Slot one: Cultivator]
[Tier one - Rank one - 0/10000]
Huh? You won't write 'Body Tempering realm?'
[Mere constraints devised by the people to sound cool. For the ease of understanding and to reduce complexity, 'Ranks' would be used.]
Kaizen already knew that tiers were the major checkpoints of a domain, so he didn't ask about that.
He would upgrade to tier two at rank four, which was too far away for the current him.
[Slot two: Artifact Refiner]
[Tier one - Rank one - 0/10000]
//Status effects//
[Exhaustion]
Valid. I don't have the body of a peak ranked cultivator anymore. It's been a long time since I got a good rest so it's inevitable that exhaustion would creep in. I feel it myself without the system having to tell me.
//Attributes//
[Strength (STR): 240]
[Physical power, damage, carrying capacity and similar aspects.]
[Dexterity (DEX): 200]
[Agility, reflexes, accuracy, speed, and related traits.]
[Constitution (CON): 210]
[Health, endurance, and resistance to physical effects.]
[Intelligence (INT): 225]
[Qi storage and efficiency, perception, and resistance to mental effects.]
[Charisma (CHA): 1]
[Influence, leadership.]
[Luck (LUC): 1]
[Critical hit rates, rare discoveries, evasion, and probability of favorable outcomes.]
[Note: Charisma and Luck cannot be increased by investing Attribute Points.]
[Attribute Points: 20]
[Note: The average attributes of a class at rank one are 80-120.]
So since I have two classes, their bonuses stack. Makes sense.
How did I get the twenty Attribute Points by the way?
[10 for breaking through to rank one. Since you did it twice with two classes, that's 20.]
With his doubts solved, he moved further on to next panels.
//Skills//
[None]
[Note: Host has to perform the skill at least once for the system to record it down.]
//Shop//
[Note: Anything can be purchased as long as the host provides sufficient energy. Certain items would need the host to provide a blueprint for the system to procure it.]
//Inventory//
[Empty]
[Note: A storage space which can only be accessed by the host. Can be increased by providing sufficient energy to the system.]
//Miscellaneous//
[Note: Concepts which cannot be classified under any one panel would be mentioned here along with truly miscellaneous content.]
[Insight Points: 0]
[Experience multiplier: 100]
[Note: The host is so stupid.]
… That last part is yours isn't it?
[Of course, are you stupid? I was truly right to add that.]
Kaizen felt that even if he didn't improve in any aspects with the help of his system, he would truly make great progress in his patience.
Anyway, time to rest and see what I can do about my current situation.